Join and help us create our yoga school in Varkala, India

Details

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  Description

  We're Elizabeth and Rohan. I've been running Panchakarma and Ayurveda retreats in Rishikesh for years. Rohan was my yoga teacher there, guiding me and the groups I brought over.
  
  Somewhere along the way, we realised we were really working towards the same thing from two different directions — Ayurveda and yoga, meant to be lived together, not apart.
  
  Kerala is where that realisation found its home. This is the birthplace of Ayurveda, and its slow pace of life, its natural beauty, drew us both in. Rohan founded the school, and created Yoga on the Beach, his own way of teaching here in Varkala. I bring the Ayurveda side into our retreats, connecting Europe with well-known doctors from Kerala's tradition.
  
  We now have a house in Varkala, 10 minutes on foot from the beach — the school's future home — and this August, we're looking for real hands and real know-how: people who genuinely know gardening, painting, composting, carpentry, or social media, ready to help us build the space we've been dreaming of.
  
  In return, you'll practice yoga with Rohan, and live in a beach town that's hard to leave without wanting to come back.
  
  We speak English, Hindi, French and Spanish.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Creative DIY projects

  Help around the house

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Sustainability

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Events & social

  

  Culture

  

  Music

  

  Languages

  

  Books

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Hiking

  

  Beach
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Here, we speak English, Hindi, French and Spanish — so conversations move naturally between languages and cultures, often in the same sentence.
  
  You'll be living inside a real cross-cultural project: Rohan grew up in India's yogic and spiritual traditions, while I bring a wider international perspective, having lived and worked between France, Spain, Japan and India. Volunteers become part of that mix — sharing meals, morning yoga, and everyday life with us and with local people from Varkala.
  
  Beyond the work, you'll get an inside view of South Indian daily life: local markets, Kerala's food, its backwaters and temples, and the rhythm of a place that still runs on its own time. We're always happy to point you towards what's worth seeing and doing around Varkala, and to connect you with the local Ayurvedic doctors we work with, if you're curious about that world.
  
  In return, we're genuinely curious about the people who come through — where you're from, how you see things, what you carry with you. This is a small, early-stage project, and the volunteers who join us now will help shape not just the house, but the spirit of what the school becomes.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We're looking for people who genuinely know how to:
  • Garden
  • Paint, inside and out
  • Build and maintain a compost system
  • Work with wood — we're building a yogashala from scratch
  • Manage social media — help us grow the school's presence online
  
  We're looking for real, hands-on experience, sharing skills with us.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Hindi: Fluent
  Japanese: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We have two bedrooms, each with its own en-suite bathroom. Depending on the number of volonteers, you may have to share a room with another volunteer. This will be clarified during the preliminary interview. Breakfast will be served every day, and you will have access to the kitchen to prepare your own meals. Most of the days we will also share what we cook with the volunteers. In the house, only lacto-vegetarian food is accepted.
  
  Volunteers will be free to cook as they please. The kitchen is an open, welcoming space, and we'll be happy to share our supplies with them.

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  What else ...

  September will also be available for volonteers

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Private parking

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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